Beginning athletes, trying to increase their shoulders, lean on the "army bench", completely ignoring the basic exercise of all weightlifters without exception - a pull. There are several reasons for this. Due to improper technique, there is no result; the exercise is too complicated and uncomfortable. And there is an opinion that the broach leads to injuries that can end the career of a young athlete. Is this really so, it remains to be understood in this article. The focus is on a broach with a barbell standing, as well as a technique of performance, muscle activity during exercise, expert advice and alternative exercises.
Attractive name for attractive muscles
In any case, the “broach with the barbell standing” sounds prettier than the “pull of the barbell to the chin”. The exercise is quite famous not only among bodybuilders. It is basic for weightlifters. But due to ignorance of the performance technique, even experienced athletes try to bypass the broach. First of all, the removal of the upper arm from the body to the side and up loads the deltas, or rather, the middle heads of these triceps. A trapezoid is also involved. When lifting the shoulder girdle and scapula, not only the trapezius muscle is exposed to the load , but also the lifting scapula. In addition, the secondary muscles that take on a small part of the load also participate in the exercise. The deep muscle of the upper back is actively working at the beginning of the exercise. The rest of the way in raising the bar to the chin is done by the biceps, the front head of the delta, the upper pectoral and front dentate muscles.
Athletics is dead
As for technology, there are many opinions among professional athletes in terms of its implementation. However, everyone agrees that basic weightlifting is effective, so you need to start with it. And later, having refined the technique, you can look for your own variations of the exercise. A narrow-grip pulling rod has a number of specific requirements. Violation of at least one of them can lead to serious injury to the shoulder joint.
- Taking the bar with a grip on top (the distance between the thumbs is about 20 cm), you need to stand upright. The shoulders are straightened, the chest is slightly extended forward, the back is slightly bent in the lower back, the bar of the bar touches the hips.
- Taking a breath and holding your breath, you need to pull your elbows, spreading them apart, neck to the chin. During movement, the bar must extend as close to the body as possible.
- Having reached the top point, it is necessary to exhale, make a delay in this position for 1-2 seconds and smoothly lower the bar to its original position.
- At the upper point, the elbows are raised above shoulder level by about 30 degrees. The elbows should look as much as possible to the sides, if they move forward, the load will shift to the front beam of the deltas.
Recommendations for all beginners
Professionals recommend honing the technique (correct posture with a flat back and traction by the elbow joint, rather than biceps using convulsions of the whole body) using a curved neck. Thanks to its roughness, it is possible to make a more comfortable grip, which will not hamper the movement of the elbows up and tear the lock of the fingers. In addition, it is recommended to do the exercise between two perpendicular mirrors in order to see yourself both in front and from the side. Such control is recommended to hone the technique of all exercises in the gym. An ideal option when performing an exercise such as a broach with a standing bar - photo or video. Looking at yourself from the outside, it’s easier to work on the bugs. Correcting their actions, any beginner will cope with the technique.
Oddities awaiting a beginner athlete in the block
This is always the case with those people who are looking for easy solutions, inventing their own exercise technique. This concerns primarily the broaches in the block. Yes, a broach with a barbell is not always available in a crowded gym due to the lack of a free neck. Exercise can be replaced by performing in a block simulator. However, for most athletes, for some reason, it seems that a completely different technician is needed for the unit. Some take the buttocks back, angled so that the load is parallel to the body, thus simulating a broach. Others do not care about load parallelism along the body. All this is an extra waste of time, effort and energy. If the unit does not have an elongated cable outlet from below, which allows the athlete to be positioned so that the load runs perpendicular to the floor, then you can forget about the pulling while standing in the unit.
Universal Smith Machine
This is probably the only simulator in any gym that allows an athlete to pump any muscle on his own body. Smith's simulator has to be used by all athletes, without exception, who, working with large weights without a partner and a trainer, primarily think about their own safety. Many athletes recommend a broach in Smith's car. The reason is quite interesting. Any athlete, honing the performance technique, will notice one oddity. The wider the grip of the neck, the greater the load on the deltoid muscle, and, accordingly, the better study. But because of the wide grip, the shoulder joint with the shoulder blade goes to the kink, that is, the broach with the barbell standing with a wide grip is more effective, but also more dangerous. In such cases, only Smith's machine will help. True, the exercise will have to be performed with one hand. Holding the bar with one hand, simulating a wide grip, any athlete will pay attention not only to the absence of a fracture in the shoulder joint, but also to the need for weight gain. The stretching in Smith's machine is by far the easiest, safest and most effective exercise for developing the middle bundle of the deltoid muscle. Naturally, subject to all the rules of technology.
And speaking of trapezes
We figured out what a pull with a barbell is, what muscles work and how to use the technique correctly, but completely ignored the trapezius muscle. And it was done for a reason. The problem is that broaching cannot be attributed to trapeze exercises for one simple reason: it is basic for another muscle group. In no case can you "kill" the delta, and then give a load on the trapezoid. This will result in personal injury. If there is a desire to develop trapeze, please, you can do them at the end of the training, after the deltoid muscles. Shrugs with a barbell and dumbbells will serve as an excellent complement, but you can’t “hit” the trapeze. Also, the trapezius muscle is very well loaded with deadlift, which is a basic exercise not only in weightlifting, but also in bodybuilding. But then again - the base for the back, and the trapezium is worked out as a secondary muscle.
Finally
In the complex of any athlete, a broach with a barbell should stand in first place on the day when the training is aimed at the deltoid muscles. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the basic exercise not only warms up, but also heavily loads the focal muscle. Secondly, the basic exercise by the load disables the secondary muscles, which will not be able to further interfere with the performance of isolated ones. And at the end of the workout, there will be no sense in the basic exercise, because the previously developed muscle will simply get tired and will not work.